For example, a mounting head that is provided with a suction nozzle for mounting an electronic component onto a circuit board is installed in an electronic component mounting machine, and an electronic component to be picked up and held by the suction nozzle is taken out from a component supply section and mounted onto the circuit board. The picking up and holding of the electronic component by the suction nozzle is performed by applying negative pressure inside the nozzle via vacuum pumping after a suction port has contacted the electronic component. The electronic component which is taken out from a component supply device by such pickup and holding is moved to the circuit board by the movement of the mounting head, and after the electronic component has been placed at a predetermined position on the circuit board, the electronic component is released by the vacuum pumping at the suction nozzle being canceled.